


In Tree-Filtered Sunlight

by rachaellikestoread



Category: Suikoden III
Genre: Alcohol, Awkwardness, Drunk Fic, Drunken Flirting, Drunkenness, Humor, M/M, Mild Language, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-06
Updated: 2014-03-06
Packaged: 2018-01-14 18:09:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1275964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rachaellikestoread/pseuds/rachaellikestoread
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nash gets Sasarai drunk by mistake. Awkwardness abounds.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In Tree-Filtered Sunlight

Dios knew that Nash wasn't the most cautious fellow around, but there was a fine line between reckless and stupid.

This time, Nash had crossed that line.

***

It all began when Dios left at ten o'clock to visit his family. However, at about a quarter of the way to his destination, there was a landslide at one of the main intersections. All traffic was suspended indefinitely, and since it was the only route to where his family lived, he had no choice but to return home.

As he approached the clergy house where Sasarai lived, he heard Nash's voice coming from the backyard.

"Bishop Sasarai! Bishop Sasarai, get a hold of yourself! Please don't do this to me!"

Dios broke into a run. Already, he was coming up with various injuries, illnesses, or accidents that might have befallen the bishop while he was alone. This was why he hated to go anywhere, even if it was to see his son. Of course, he was always happy to see him, but if only he didn't have to leave the bishop behind to do it, he wouldn't have to worry this way.

He was not entirely sure what to expect, but it was certainly different from what he saw.

Nash had Sasarai in his arms, and when he noticed Dios, he looked at him with the guilty face of a cheating lover. "Oh, D-Dios! I thought you went to see your family."

"I came back early," said Dios, casting a death glare in Nash's direction. "What have you done to Lord Sasarai? Why is he unconscious?"

"I'm not unconscious," drifted Sasarai's voice from where his head drooped helplessly from the crook of Nash's arm. "I'm just having a little trouble with walking right now." A strange sound came out of his throat; it sounded almost like a giggle. "Walking is hard." He finally lifted his head, and Dios saw that his face was flushed.

"Nash," Dios growled, "is he drunk?"

Nash held up his hands in defense, which made Sasarai crumple to the ground. "I didn't mean to!" he pleaded. "I only gave him a little bit! I didn't think it would do this to him!"

"Y-you idiot!" Dios shouted, and he knelt down next to Sasarai. "Sir, are you all right?"

"Just damn peachy," Sasarai answered, and he tried to sit up. "A little bit of vodka's--whoaaa!" He fell forward again, landing with his face in Dios' lap.

"Ji--ji--ji-ji-ji-ji-ji-jijijijiji!"

"Hey, no need to short circuit, Dios," Nash spoke up cheerily. "Come on, Bishop, let's get you upright." He winked at Dios as he pulled Sasarai into a sitting position. "Atta Bishop. Keep an eye out where you land, mmkay? You could have rendered Dios incapable of having any more children."

"Nash, that's enough," Dios hissed. "I don't want to hear any of your vulgar jokes right now. You're treading on very thin ice as it is. I can't _believe_ you gave Lord Sasarai vodka. Have you lost your mind?"

Nash shrugged sheepishly. "I just offered it to him, and he accepted. Last time we met, he mentioned that he'd never tried alcohol before, and I thought that was a little strange. So this time I brought a little something for us to enjoy together. Dios, I know it's your job to look after the Bishop, but he's a big boy and can have alcohol if he wants. You're his personal assistant, not his babysitter."

"It's not that you gave him alcohol that bothers me," Dios insisted. "It's that you gave a very potent drink to someone who has never drunk alcohol before. You should have known he would have low tolerance. Why couldn't he have a bit of wine, or maybe Mike's Hard Lemonade?"

"Guys. Guys," Sasarai said. "There's no need to fight. There's enough of me to go around." He turned to Nash. "Nash, you smell like chicken soup." He shrugged out from under Nash's arm and crawled over to Dios. "Dios, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your tender parts." He gave Dios a hug, this time taking care to avoid what he called his "tender parts." "Mmmm...Dios, you smell even better. Like aftershave and manliness."

"Th-thank you, L-Lord Sasarai," he stammered. "I-I-I-I try to keep myself clean." He looked to Nash for help, but Nash appeared to be enjoying his distress. "Bishop, are you feeling--"

"Never better." Sasarai looked up at Dios with a small smile on his charmingly red face. "Dios, I have a favor to ask of you."

Dios' heart skipped a beat. His eyes darted from Sasarai to Nash--was it his imagination, or did Nash look _hungry_?--and back to Sasarai again. "What's that, sir?"

Sasarai raised his head so that his lips were next to Dios' ear, and he whispered, "I want to feel your sideburns."

Dios sighed with relief. "Oh, is that all? Yes, go ahead, sir."

"Oh, goodie!" But instead of touching one of Dios' sideburns with his hand, Sasarai pressed his cheek against it and began to nuzzle him.

"Jiiii!" Dios squeaked, and he knew his face must be even redder than Sasarai's now. "B-Bishop, please, you don't know what you're doing--" He noted that Nash was now hunched over, his shoulders shaking with silent laughter. "Nash, this isn't a joke!"

Nash looked up at Dios, shaking his head. "You need to lighten up, Dios."

"Yes, lighten up, Dios." Sasarai tugged on Dios' sleeve. "I want you to lie with me."

"W-what? L-lie with you?"

"On the grass, silly, on the grass." Sasarai's grip was surprisingly strong, and he was persistent. He toppled with Sasarai to the grass in a most undignified manner. "Nash, you too," Sasarai demanded.

"Sure thing, Bishop." Nash stretched out on the grass on Sasarai's other side. He winked at Dios from over Sasarai's shoulder.

All Dios could think about was that he was going to get grass stains on his clothing. "So what is the point of all this?"

"I've always wanted to do something like this," Sasarai explained, his words surprisingly clear all of a sudden. "Just lie around in the grass and talk to you both. But it's something I never found time to do. Just look at how the sun comes down through the trees. Isn't it pretty? And it doesn't hurt your eyes, like direct sunlight. When I'm in this mixture of sun and shade, I feel so happy."

Dios followed Sasarai's line of vision to the leafy branches hanging over them. It was pretty, now that he actually looked at it instead of simply glancing at it. When one appreciated the gentle beauty of this filtered sunlight, it was easy to forget how cruel the world could be. "It's beautiful, Bishop."

Clearly not wanting to be upstaged, Nash added, "It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life--except for the face of a certain someone."

"Ah, yes." Sasarai sent a teasing smile in Nash's direction. "That wife of yours I'm always hearing about. Am I right?"

"Sure." Nash grinned back. "If that's what you want the answer to be, Bishop."

"Do you ever just _answer_ a question?" Dios asked. "I don't think I've ever heard a straight answer from you about anything."

Nash threw back his head and laughed. "My missus says the same thing."

"His 'missus,'" Sasarai repeated, turning back to Dios. "How disrespectful. I don't think I could stand being married to someone like that."

"Ours is a vitriolic relationship," Nash explained. "Old school, you know."

"What's old school about insulting each other?" Dios demanded. "I think you're just making excuses. I pity whoever your 'special someone' is."

"My 'special someone' is closer than you think." As he said this, Nash moved a little closer to Sasarai. "Maybe she's listening in on us right now."

"...Nash, you say some strange things," said Dios, and he inched closer to Sasarai as well.

"I think Nash is pretty strange himself," Sasarai added. "I mean, I've known him for fifteen years, and he still hasn't introduced me to his wife. I'm starting to think she doesn't even exist."

"It's complicated, Bishop. Dios, what about you? Would you like to meet my wife? I could introduce you sometime."

Dios closed his eyes and smiled just a little bit. "If she's anything like you, I'm afraid I'm going to have to decline."

"Oh, I don't think you need to worry," Nash assured him. "Bishop Sasarai, on the other hand..."

"Oh?" Sasarai raised an eyebrow. "What have you told her about me?"

"That you're very charming and young-looking. Just her type, actually."

He laughed. "Well, you don't need to worry about that. A bishop having an affair with a married woman...That would be scandalous." His face grew serious. "Besides, I already have...Oh, no, what are you making me say?" He giggled again and covered his eyes with his hands.

"Aha!" Nash sat up and grinned mischievously. "You have someone, right? Out with it, Bishop. Who's the lucky lady?"

"No, no, it's too embarrassing." Sasarai shook his head. "You mustn't jump to conclusions. I never said it was a lady." But he was still laughing. 

"Come on, even you must have some interest in romance." Nash nudged Sasarai, and for the first time Dios wondered if he'd had a little too much to drink as well. "You could get any woman in Crystal Valley if you wanted. Couldn't he, Dios?"

"Please don't bring me into this," Dios mumbled. "And leave Lord Sasarai alone."

"Now you're really jumping to conclusions." Sasarai sighed and looked up at the trees. "What I meant to say is...I already have people I care about. So I don't need to rendezvous with your wife, Nash.

"I really...really like those people," he murmured sleepily. "And Dios..." He turned his head so that he and Dios were looking right into each other's eyes. "I like you best of all."

Something tightened in Dios' chest. He tried to speak, but no words came out. He held Sasarai's gaze for a moment, then looked at Nash, who stared expectantly back at him.

"I...I..." But he couldn't say it. Something was holding him back. He cleared his throat. "I'm...honored."

Sasarai smiled at him, then closed his eyes again. A minute later, he was fast asleep.

***

"Nash, you do realize I'm never going to forgive you for this?"

Dios and Nash were alone in the parlor; Sasarai was his room, still sleeping.

Nash waved away the statement. "I'm used to it. But you have to admit that His Holiness was rather cute today, right?"

Dios turned red. "Don't act like you did anyone a favor today! Who drinks vodka in the backyard at one o'clock, anyway? What are you, some kind of drunkard?"

"I'll have you know that such a small amount of vodka never affected me the way it affected Lord Sasarai. I didn't think he'd be such a lightweight." Nash shrugged. "Anyway, it's not like he got sick or injured or got into any fights. Just a little tipsy. Admit it, you were elated when he said that he liked you. Hell, _I_ was elated, and he didn't even say it to me."

"That's exactly what troubles me." Dios stared at his hands, which were folded neatly in his lap. "He never would have said that if he were sober. I didn't like seeing him so vulnerable. There's probably a very good reason why he hasn't said anything like that to me until now." His face softened. "I don't even know why he would say it."

"Is it really so strange?" Nash winked in a way that made Dios want to slap him. "Think about it, Dios. Unlike you and me, Lord Sasarai doesn't have any parents or children. He doesn't have a wife or even a lover. He doesn't have siblings. He doesn't even have a lot of friends. I think you and I are it. So is that surprising that you, the one person he can be upfront with, are the one he likes the most?" Before Dios could respond, he raised a hand in defense. "Don't get me wrong. I'm not jealous. It was really a very sweet moment. But I feel like you should be happier."

Dios took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. "I couldn't say anything. I still can't. I can't say he's the person I care about the most."

"Of course you can't," Nash assured him. "You're a parent. You have a family and friends back home. Don't you think he understands that? You give him far too little credit." He shook his head, laughing. "I have at least two...no, three people I care most about. It's not like you need to have just one person, you know? Lord Sasarai might have only one, but you and I...we have a lot of people dear to us. And who says we have to rank how much we love people, anyway? Humans are complex. We may love one person enough to do something for them that we wouldn't do for another person. But we also might love that other person enough to do something for them that we wouldn't do for the first person. You follow me?"

Dios shook his head. "I think so, although you're not making a lot of sense. But still..." He massaged his temples with one hand and said, "I don't know...I don't know if I can live up to his expectations. I'm not used to being liked, you see. Loved, yes...but not liked. Especially by people I work with." He looked helplessly at Nash. "What do I do?"

Nash rolled his eyes. "Dios, Dios, Dios. You don't have to do anything. What expectations do you think he has of you? He's not proposing marriage. He's not trying to seduce you. He's not even demanding anything back from you. You may know him better than I do, but I've known him much longer. And he's proven time and time again that he's pretty much content with whatever cards he's dealt in life. He wouldn't want you to make yourself sick with worry over this. So relax." He winked again. "You know, Bishop Sasarai isn't the only one who was cute today."

"Spare me your mockery, Nash. I'm too exhausted to deal with it."

***

"All in all," Sasarai said, "it was fun. But it just wasn't worth drinking that nasty liquid."

"No big deal," Nash said. "At least you've passed one more milestone of manhood, Bishop."

Sasarai looked at him with a bemused expression. "You say some curious things, Nash." He turned to Dios. "I'm sorry. I fear I may have done some things that made you uncomfortable."

"Oh..." Dios cleared his throat nervously. "Please don't worry about me. I can handle pretty much anything you throw at me, Bishop." He emphasized that last statement with a laugh that he hoped sounded genuine.

Sasarai joined in the laughter, and Nash did as well. Then, when all was quiet again, Sasarai added, "But Dios, I did mean what I said."

Dios didn't need to ask for clarification. All three of them knew what Sasarai was talking about. Instead, he simply nodded. "Thank you, Bishop."

And that was it. He knew as soon as he said those words that they were all he had needed to say. All Sasarai had wanted to hear was just whatever it was Dios was thinking. He was normally so good at speaking his mind. What had he been so worried for?

Nash had a dreamy look on his face. "A magical moment," he sighed.

"Haha, Dios, your face is bright red," Sasarai teased.

"I-it's the summer heat," Dios muttered. "Really."

"You're a terrible liar, you know."

Oh, well. There'd be plenty of time to resolve this issue later.

***

The next time Dios went to visit his family, he insisted on taking Sasarai with him.

THE END


End file.
